Campus placements are underway in most colleges in the city but many students such as 21-year-old Madonna D’Souza, a graduate from Xavier’s, no longer depend on getting a job through this route.

Campus placements are underway in most colleges in the city but many students such as 21-year-old Madonna D’Souza, a graduate from Xavier’s, no longer depend on getting a job through this route.

Reason: None of the companies that had recruited from her campus satisfied her.

To attract students, companies are opting for more extensive and cost-effective ways of recruiting freshers.

In September, the All India Management Association (AIMA) launched the Management Aptitude and Skills Test (MAST) following industry demand for a universal screening yardstick. “With MAST, companies would be able to match the candidate’s profile with right job requirements,” said Rekha Sethi, director general of AIMA.

Companies are also looking at other benchmarking tests to sift talent. A new, global online coding test — Codesprint — for programmers has had 500 Indian participants sign up already, with 65 companies offering positions.